Stereodivergent total synthesis of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinols

Abstract

All four stereoisomers of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC) were synthesized in concise fashion using stereodivergent dual catalysis. Thus, following identical synthetic sequences and applying identical reaction conditions to the same set of starting materials, selective access to the four stereoisomers of THC was achieved in five steps.

Keywords: dual catalysis; stereodivergent synthesis; tetrahydrocannabinol; total synthesis.